ALA’s Director of Engineering, Terry McGowan, was inducted into the Lighting Hall of Fame on Sept. 24, 2024, during the annual ALA Conference, held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla.
Jim Decker, president of Hinkley, gave a warm introduction on stage, recalling how he and McGowan met for the first time some 30+ years ago when he visited the GE Lighting Institute where McGowan was an educator. Years later, when McGowan joined ALA full-time, they were able to collaborate together as members of several ALA committees.
“This is a great honor for me to be able to introduce Terry McGowan because no one is more deserving in our industry to be inducted into the ALA Hall of Fame than Terry,” Decker stated. “The ALA first sought Terry’s expertise back in 2002 as a consultant, and one year later asked him to become a permanent member of the ALA team. Over the ensuing 20 years, Terry has been instrumental in guiding ALA’s engineering committee efforts, as well as ALA’s efforts overall in staying abreast of technology.”
Decker added, “Terry’s unparalleled work with ALA’s Better Light, Better Sleep program is one of those key endeavors that will take us into the future. In addition to his technical support and guidance to ALA members, Terry organizes the ALA’s Engineering Committee’s monthly Zoom meetings, which include guest speakers throughout the industry. His work for the ALA and the engineering committee has been instrumental in averting proposed standards that would put limitations on manufacturers. He’s also been a guiding force in the initiation of numerous positive changes in lighting safety standards and legislation that protect and benefit ALA members. This is another behind-the-scenes benefit that a lot of members don’t realize happens every day. Terry sits on six UL committees and on several committees with the Illuminating Engineering Society. While that is time-consuming for Terry, it is an invaluable benefit that trickles down to all levels of ALA membership as well as the lighting industry at large. After 20 years with ALA and 60 years in lighting overall, Terry remains enthusiastic about the industry as well as ALA.”
Upon accepting the award, McGowan noted that Jim Decker has, in turn, made an impact on his life as well. “Hinkley Lighting is located not far from where I live and I enjoy talking with the technical people there and wish I could do that with all of our manufacturers,” he said. “You should know that ALA technical support means that we understand what you’re up against, what you’re doing, what new products are coming out, how we can help you sell those products, and how we might help you make them even more interesting to consumers.”
McGowan went on to explain that “technology and technical help” means assistance beyond the literal transistor and wire conversations. “It really means everything about how a product works and how we get it out to the market,” he remarked. “I’m very thankful for this honor; it is something I didn’t expect at all, and I have to thank all of the people in the ALA who I’ve known over the years and who really made a difference.”
Before taking on the role of director of engineering for ALA, McGowan said that part of what intrigued him about the position was that it was very different than anything he had ever done before. “I understand flood lighting, office lighting and store lighting, but I didn’t know residential lighting — however, I do know how the technology works.”
McGowan and other members of the ALA Engineering Committee have realized over the years that their work has gone beyond the technical aspects of lighting and has expanded into explaining that technology to end-consumers in a way that they can understand.
The residential lighting industry provides consumers with a way to save increasing amounts of money through the adoption of LED technology and lighting controls. “We have a story to tell about the quality of light,” McGowan stated. “Light is a way to see, and a way to be productive….and if we can make people and spaces look better, then we’ve got a winner. We haven’t explored that fully with LEDs, so it’s going to be an interesting few years as we go down the path of seeing just how much quality lighting matters, and how we can provide that quality lighting.”
McGowan encouraged all ALA members to join in the monthly ALA Engineering Committee meeting, held on the third Tuesday of every month at 3pm EST. For the October session, the guest speaker will be Kelly Gordon of the Department of Energy at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Portland. “We’re going to ask Kelly why the DOE keeps raising the bar on efficacy for light bulbs and whether we need to trade efficiency for color and quality of life,” McGowan said.
When it comes to adding value to lighting products, McGowan pointed to the ALA’s Better Light, Better Sleep program as an example. “We have 12 manufacturers involved, and we’re planning how to design and market residential circadian-based lighting products, which can include fixtures, controls, and even light bulbs. Circadian lighting is all about having bright days, dim afternoons, and evenings, and dark nights — because that’s the way nature has put together human beings in their cycle of day and night,” he explained. “If we can match that with electric lighting, or add to it and improve it, we know that our sleep will be better, which will result in better health.”
This is an unprecedented time in the lighting industry, according to McGowan. “I’m excited about the future of residential lighting from a technical standpoint, and in the new ways that we can add value to what we know, what we do, and what we sell. I’m so glad that so many of you are part of that, too. I’d like to give my sincere thanks, not only to those whom I’ve worked with on the technical side, but also to the ALA board, which follows our technical activities and helps plan how we can support members’ needs for health and information. Thank you all for this honor. I will appreciate it for the rest of my life.”